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Tuesday, November 14, 2017

First Looks: Soul Food Done Mostly Right at Tony G's

Tommy Moore’s may have closed in 2014 due to foreclosure, but soul food never truly left the Eastside. Tony G’s Soul Food, which relocated from its original location at St. Paul Square to the former home of Tommy Moore’s, is keeping soul alive.

The space received a deserved makeover — the carpets are gone, as are the transmissions that were left by previous tenants, according to one of our servers. In its place are stained concrete floors, a sleek new paint job, a bar and a new buffet line (we’ll get to this later).

A first visit after opening was shaky — we learned belatedly that an electric panel was out and our order of three lunch entrees took more than an hour to make. That said, the food was everything we needed after a stressful week covering shootings. The collards leaned on the bitter side during lunch, and the smothered pork chop (covered in a velvety brown gravy) fared better with a steak knife, rather than the butter knife we were given. Still the fried chicken is a must, as is the cornbread and grits (cheesy or chipotle, your choice). The grape Kool-Aid was an added plus.

Tony G’s was also known for its brunch, which they jumped back into this weekend in their new digs. Electrical woes must have been put to rest because brunch was bumpin’ by 10:30 a.m. A patio was added between opening day and Sunday brunch, though it went unused due to lingering rain. Still, the inside of the restaurant filled up as Wednesday Ball & Roger Tamez of The Show Band set up for the day. The never-empty buffet line, emblazoned simply “Soul Food” held brunch basics such as sausage, bacon and scrambled eggs on one side and then all the hits on the other such as biscuits and gravy, mac ‘n’ cheese, wings and waffles (honestly, more convenient than an entire leg, but the waffle was a tad too sweet), fried catfish, collards and tournedos (the end portion of beef tenderloin) with mushroom and gravy. Oh, and there’s a meat-carving station. That week called for roasted pork with baked apples.

At $22.95 for adults (drinks are extra) and $12.95 for children, the brunch is on par with others around town. Head here for the jovial and communal vibe that sets it apart.